


Dust in the Machinery

by BadForTheHeart



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: And he can talk, Angst, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Found Family, Gen, Grogu is older, MandDADlorian, One-Shots, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Force, razor crest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadForTheHeart/pseuds/BadForTheHeart
Summary: “Don’t you understand? What you and the kid share, it’s something special. Everyone wants to tear it down. It doesn’t matter if Gideon is dead, because there always will be another Gideon. It’s your clan against the entire galaxy, and you’re gonna have to learn to live with the burden.”Short snippets featuring our clan of two. Cute and angsty family moments, because I can’t get enough of them.
Relationships: The Mandalorian & Baby Yoda
Comments: 8
Kudos: 116





	1. Anchor

Din Djarin struggles to fall asleep. The weight of the _beskar’gam_ is gone, and yet it still feels like something heavy is threatening to crush his ribs into tiny shards. His forehead collects swelling drops of sweat under his helmet, but his freed skin is almost cold to the touch. The kid is quiet in his improvised hammock above him, his faint breathing the only non-artificial sound in the peacefulness of the _Razor Crest_.

The heavy smell of an ugly storm is strong in their shared bunk, so Din gets up, reaches for his vambrace that sits on top of the pile, and checks the ship’s readings. They haven’t drifted off their previously calculated course, the ship keeps her lazy slide in the cold vacuum. The systems are up and running, and Din remembers the exhaust pipes creaked earlier, but they are quiet now.

The baby shifts above him, and the bounty hunter’s heart picks up. Did he give enough food to the child? Nowadays, it seems like nothing is ever enough, he just keeps consuming everything that looks a slightly bit edible. Did Din eat, too? He’s not sure, but his stomach doesn’t feel empty, so it’s probably a good sign. They restocked and refueled last time they touched down on a relatively quiet planet, but was it really that quiet? What if they piqued someone’s interest? What if there’s a ship trailing after them with a tracking fob signaling the child’s whereabouts? The credits… He’s still got more then enough Imperial credits in his pocket, but it loses its value way too fast for his liking. What if next time they land to buy supplies he simply won’t be able to cover their expenses?

And the kid? He’s getting more spirited by the day, and he’s either more open about his needs and feelings, or he’s growing mentally. How and what and how fast should Din teach him things? He’s been browsing the holonet back and forth, been asking around, but he’s still as useless as ever. What if one day the kid comes down with something, or gets an allergic reaction? What kind of remedy would be of help? And his mysterious powers? It’s not just that he’s become more mischievous, Din feels that whatever this is… it’s calling to him. Using this power is second nature, but the kid clearly needs a teacher, and Din cannot fit the role. He doesn’t understand it, _can’t_ understand it, the child is destined to greatness, and Din’s endeavor hardly enough to provide for them both, and why are the Jedi so hard to locate and…

A small, three-fingered hand gently touches his neck. Big sparkly eyes dark as an endless void stare into him, a soft coo caressing his spine. Din doesn’t remember when the child crawled onto his lap, but once skin touches skin, the bounty hunter’s head clears out and his airways open again. He takes a deep breath, and lies down, the baby gently rubbing his face into his neck.

“Sorry,” Din gasps. “My thoughts are usually not this loud.”

The child chirps and lets out a jaw-popping yawn. Din suddenly feels sleep threatening to steal his sight, and he doesn’t fight it. He curls an arm around the child’s small body, and the rhythm of his breathing takes up the child’s.

He doesn’t want to get used to this. But it’s already too late.


	2. Phoenix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s no way Din didn’t have difficulties with the jetpack at first.

Childhood was a long time ago, Din realizes, while massaging his ankle. He’s already forgotten how hard it is to fly around with a rocket attached to one’s back, but he’s a stubborn man and getting a jetpack is a dream come true, so he keeps trying. Rising up and soaring in a straight line comes as second nature, but the maneuvering and the touching down part definitely needs a good one over.

He was cocky on his first test run, and the landing didn’t go according to his plans, and the child is laughing at him ever since. At least one of the two is having fun. Din’s ankle cannot relate, thank you very much. It’s not even a sprain, but the way his whole body plummeted into the mud once his brain registered the pain was not a sight Din wished anyone saw. He seriously cannot wait for the child to be big enough to babble about it.

The decommissioned bounty hunter stops at that. He won’t be around that long, the thought gnaws at him. It doesn’t feel like they are getting closer to the Jedi, but eventually they will find one. The more ground they cover, the bigger the chance they will run into them. Din won’t see the kid grow up to be a sassy teenager then a respectful end experienced adult, it’s not his privilege.

He lets out a tired sigh and hesitates before turning to the child. The child, who’s chewing on something with insectile legs. Their eyes meet, and the kid quickly swallows down whatever he’s found. They keep up the eye contact for a while, then Din leaps.

“Come here, you mischievous little womp rat!” He picks up the child, ignites his jetpack, and rises up with him secure in his embrace. The child’s chest trembles with wild laughter he cannot contain. The forest planet they chose as their next layover turns gold as the sun sets, and by the time the kid gets tired of their joyride, the stars are visible on the infinite sky.


	3. Explorers with clean boots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I need to recover from the finale, so I decided to pull my “screw canon” card and write something different. In this piece Grogu is slightly older, and he can talk. He is with Din, and they go on adventures together. Also, Din is still a Mandalorian who wears his armor with pride, but he shows his face to Grogu, because they are family. Writing fanfic is still new territory for me, so I hope no one seems ooc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A dialogue-heavy drabble. Here we go!

It rains when their ship touches down, so they spend the night in the cockpit, listening to the pitter-patter and making bets on racing raindrops. It’s a silly game for tired minds, but Grogu is way too excited to participate, and it soon becomes clear why.

“If I win,” he bargains in a whiny and crafty voice, “you will buy me cookies in the next market.”

Din hums with a slight smile plastered on his face. “And what do I get _if_ I win?”

“You are brave to think you will win,” Grogu giggles and Din’s eyebrows raise in surprise. His smile never wavers.

“All right, womp rat,” he lifts up the kid and sets him in his lap, “I’m in. But don’t pout when my raindrop crosses the finish line first.”

Of course, it’s always Grogu who wins, and the kid cannot bulge his chest more in pride. Din just let’s out a tired sigh and raises an eyebrow again.

“You cheated,” he accuses. Grogu huffs in annoyance.

“Not true! You just picked the slow raindrops. And I picked the good ones!”

“And you never used your powers to make them roll down faster, hm?”

“I didn’t! I just… I… Somehow I knew which one would win.” Grogu’s ears droop in confusion. Din’s smile evaporates, his tired eyes more alert.

“You see into the future,” he concludes. Grogu turns to face him, his lips sagged.

“But… Maz said that having visions doesn’t mean they are true. They are… vari– variations. They are… uhm…”

“Possibilities,” Din helps him out.

“Yes!” Grogu stands up in agitation, his feet leaving prints in the blanket spread over Din’s lap. “But what I thought about the raindrops… why was I always right? Maz was lying? All those bad things I keep seeing… they… they will happen…?” The kid’s big brown eyes are glistening with tears that are threatening to fall. Din reaches out a gentle hand and brushes his thumb against wrinkled green skin.

“Maz would never lie to you,” he reassures him with a warm voice. Grogu sniffles, but looks up in his eyes to listen. At the end of the day, he always listens to his father. “I might still be foreign to this world, but from what I gathered, I think it’s safe to say your visions are just that. Visions. And they take place in years from now. The farther you travel in the future, the more doubtful these visions become. You knew which raindrop to choose, because you saw what will happen in the next few seconds. It’s different, because when something is close to us in time, the number of possibilities are lesser.”

Grogu’s eyes are sparkling, but this time not because of the tears.

“Woow,” he breathes. “You sound like a true Jedi master!”

Din chuckles. “I’m trying to keep up.”

Grogu snuggles close to Din’s chest, and his father pulls the blanket over his green form.

“I want blue cookies,” he mumbles, already half-asleep. Din leans back in his seat and keeps watching the droplets.

The rain stops the next morning, but the ground is completely sodden, Din’s boots sink deep in the mud right away. Grogu doesn’t want to leave the ramp, only scowls in annoyance.

“What?” Din turns back. “True explorers get dirty all the time.”

“Well, true explorers are bantha-heads,” Grogu retorts and raises his arms. Din lets out a sigh.

“So it doesn’t matter that I get dirty, huh? What do I gain if I pick you up?”

Grogu’s cheeky smile is concerning. “If you carry me, we can move so much faster! And we’ll have more time!”

“Yes… and back-pain. You are bigger now.” Din rolls his eyes, but Grogu doesn’t recoil, he keeps the uppy arms steady. Din shakes his head, and finally slips his helmet on. But when he moves to lift the kid up, his foot slips forward, and he has to put his hands on the ground for support. His gloves squelch as they sink into the mud.

“Oops,” Din grimaces under the helmet, then pulls himself back up to reach for Grogu. The kid jumps back, but Din is faster, and grabs his torso to lift him up.

“Eww, daaad!” Grogu whines, but it turns into laughter. “You did this on purpose!” He wipes his robes with his fingers, then smears the mud on Din’s visor. His father chuckles.

“And how do I carry you now that I can’t see?”

Grogu struggles to stop laughing, but once he calms down, his eyes are serious. “The Force led us here, it will guide us,” he says. “I trust it. Do you trust it, too?”

Din hesitates a bit, but smiles again. “I trust _you_. Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just trying to brush up on my writing and my English. If something feels off, let me know. :)


End file.
